A Message in the Steam
by blackestfaery
Summary: COMPLETE. Heero and Relena haven't seen each other in two years since the Eve Wars, until they meet up by accident--in a rainstorm no less. Things have changed over time, and it's up to Heero to win Relena back... with the help of a mirror?
1. A chance encounter

Disclaimer: This may come as a big shock to you but… I don't own Gundam Wing or any of its characters

Disclaimer: This may come as a big shock to you but…I don't own Gundam Wing or any of its characters.Yeah, Trowa took it pretty hard… ;)

Notes: Here's another beginning to a series that just wouldn't let me sleep until I wrote the whole friggin thing out.I'm not mad, I'm just kinda sleepy, and school's already taking its disastrous toll.I have to admit, it was fun going back-to-school shopping, but I swear, the novelty wore off right after I was reminded that all the stuff I'm buying is for the sole purpose of that hideous 8 letter word: _HOMEWORK._Egads, that word can give me epilepsy…

But going back to my story, this is set two years after Endless Waltz.And just for the record, this is rated _PG _only.So, no matter what the basics suggest, we aren't going _there._I don't have the guts to write that material just yet.

But, anyways, here's all you need to know to get you going: Heero.Relena.Wet clothes.Two bathroom scenes.One bed scene.

_Hey, what'd I tell you?Get your mind outta the gutter… _;)

A Message in the Steam

written by: Nausicaä

She disliked having them wait for her when she chose to work overtime.Their shift was over at 10:30 p.m., but yet, they chose to stay.Such loyalty moved her, but they still were officially off duty.Why drag them all into her boring, weary routine every night?

"Are you sure, Relena?Matt and I don't mind staying behind to wait until you're done."

"She's right, 'Lena.I wouldn't mind if it meant protecting you." 

Ms. Relena Darlian looked fondly at her bodyguards turned friends.She knew that they had meant what they'd said with all their heart and were truly willing to stay.Both of the young men valiantly tried to hide their drooping shoulders and increasing rate of yawns, but she saw through their forced alertness and issued a softly voiced but final order.

"No," she said with finality."You two should've headed home an hour ago.I don't know how long I'll be here with this paperwork."Relena indicated a depressingly large stack of folders and ledgers, "And I can tell you're ready to fall asleep where you stand.The mansion's only ten blocks away.I can walk."

Knowing that they'd lost from the start but still worried, Matt had one more argument in his mind.With eyebrows pursed, he said, "Pardon me, but I don't care about the distance.Mr. Chang will have our heads if anything happens to you.At least promise us that you'll call a taxi if you stay longer than midnight."

Giving way to their genuine concern, Relena promised Matt and his friend that she would take a taxi if she were to stay longer than midnight, and with reluctant waves of goodbye, Relena was finally left alone in her office.

Sighing, she ran her hand slowly through her hair and tiredly reached for another folder.

Stepping outside into the cool evening air, the two bodyguards stopped for a moment.Gazing back and up into the single lit window, Matt shook his head sadly.

"Y'know, she's never been the same since _he _disappeared."

"What do you mean, Matt?" his friend asked."Who's 'he?'"

"Oh, that's right.You only joined the Preventers last year."Continuing to the discreet black car parked in the front, Matt leaned against the hood and turned his gaze heavenward.Shining down on them with dull, golden lustre was an infinite number of stars.Countless and unreachable, but always the focus of so many fairytales and dreams.

"Hey, Rob, what do you see when you look up?"

Rob followed suit with his friend's question and tipped his head back."Well, I see stars."

Matt nodded."They say he came from the stars… or just appeared out of nowhere."

_"Who?"_

"Heero Yuy."

He was wearing a path into the carpet.He couldn't help it.He felt caged, restless, and aching to do something, but what was one to do, if the single purpose of your existence didn't need you anymore?He glanced at the bulletin board as he passed by it.Newspaper clippings blurred together, but he didn't need to read them.He knew every single one by heart.

_Vice Foreign Minister Seals the Deal_

_Former Queen Relena Founds Memorial Site_

_Peace: The Passion of the Peacecrafts_

And the list went on.The board and parts of the surrounding wall were covered with them, two years worth of them.But the most recent one was what had him up and scaling the walls.

_Is This It?Our Princess and her Perfect Match_

When he'd seen this on the newsstand, he'd bought it instantly and read the article through.Three times.

_Could this be the one that Vice Foreign Minister, Relena Darlian, 18, has been looking for?Reports of sightings of Ms. Darlian spending time with an unnamed young man have piqued the interest of many…_

__Heero Yuy tore his gaze away from the article.He needed to get out of here for a while.Going to the closet and grabbing blindly for a jacket, he left, his destination unknown even to him.

"I just need to get away, away for fresh air," he didn't know why he had to convince himself of it.

"Heero Yuy?"Rob echoed."Sounds familiar…Wait, isn't he that guy believed to be the best MS pilot of all time?"

Matt answered."Uh-huh, but he wasn't believed to be, he _was._"

Rob couldn't help but whistle."Whoah, have you ever met him?Seen him?I wish I could've met him."

"Nah, couldn't get near the guy.He was always so removed from everyone, y'know?Always alone and cold like.I honestly don't see what 'Lena saw in him."

"You mean, Relena had a thing for Heero?"Rob couldn't believe it.Relena always seemed so oblivious to the young men who flocked around her at parties."He must be some guy."

Matt looked at him."Correction, he _was _some guy."

"What?What do you mean _'was?'"_

Gesturing that they get in the car, Matt elaborated."Exactly what 'was' means.He's gone.Absolutely no trace of him left on earth.Relena had us search for a year, but when nothing came up and her political duties got in the way, she had to give up searching."

Pulling slowly out of its parking space, the sleek black car sped its way down near-empty streets.Rob turned to his friend.

"You think she's over him, Matt?"

Matt raised an eyebrow."Relena over Heero Yuy?Hell, no."

It was 1:00 a.m. when Relena decided to call it quits.Officials, be damned.She couldn't keep her eyes open anymore.Relena gathered her things with slow, prolonged movements.She was still making up her mind about getting a taxi home or walk but soon made her decision when she tried several times to grab for a pen.She was exhausted.

"I am definitely getting a cab," she muttered.

But when she stepped outside and looked both ways up and down the streets, they were empty.Not a car in sight.

Relena sighed heavily and rubbed at her aching temple."Never mind, I'll walk.Maybe it'll help clear my head a bit."Picking up her suitcase, Relena prepared herself for a comfortably slow walk home.

Heero walked down the street, thankful that it was late in the night.No one was about, and he was able to sort his thoughts in the quiet.His hair glinted dark browns now and then, as he passed under the soft light of the lampposts, and he crossed the street, trying to think of anything to divert his mind with.

_Work?Nope, got a day off tomorrow.University?Starting next month…_

__But no matter his efforts at keeping her stuffed in the dark corners of his head, his mind inevitably went straight back to her.

_Damn you, Relena._

_ _

__"Damn you, Heero," Relena moaned."I've only been walking for five minutes and already you wormed yourself into my head.Again."

Shaking her head, Relena succumbed to the memories of the past two years Heero Yuy had been absent from her life.Peace had truly enveloped the earth and the colonies.There were no talks of uprisings or secret organizations, no military geniuses set on overthrowing the leaders of the Earth Sphere Unified Nations.No fear.

It's what she'd wanted, what she'd always dreamed of having. 

But none of it meant anything if Heero wasn't there to live in it with her.

Engrossed in their thoughts, both of the melancholy youth failed to see the gathering storm clouds above.

Heero heard thunder rumbling in the distance and disregarded it just as fast as he had noted it.Rain didn't bother him.In fact, he actually welcomed it.Maybe it could help wash away the hurt he was unaccustomed to feeling.

A small raindrop spattering across the bridge of her nose was all the warning Relena had before the skies ripped open and sheets of rain fell to drown the already dragging spirits of her body.Drenched in seconds, Relena looked helplessly around for shelter.No stores were located anywhere near her.She was in the high-rise section of the city, so Relena rationalized and started looking for a hotel to go to.She'd wait until the rain stopped and continue her walk home then.

As she walked with her suitcase sheltering her as best as it could, Relena happened to look up and see a very familiar figure crossing the street, chocolate brown hair coloured almost black by the rain.Freezing in her tracks, Relena was hardly able to breathe, praying with all her might that what she saw was not a figment of her imagination.

"Heero," she breathed.

It was so faint that she thought she hadn't spoken at all, but even that notion was burned to ashes, as the figure before her stopped and turned their Prussian blue eyes to hers.

Notes:Yeah, I liked this one, for once!I have to admit, this is the first series I actually have all planned out – beginning to end.With the exception of _With the Flip of a Coin, Accept the Beast_, all my other chaptered fics have been written as a test run for an idea.If the response is good, then I'll keep writing them.And, yeah, the response has been mind-boggling!

Well, I hope I've got you intrigued enough to wait for the next chapter.This should be finished by then, so please review.Love it, hate it, caught in between – tell me.I'm a big girl, I can handle the criticism, and I won't cry… that hard ;)

Until then…

__


	2. Home alone

Disclaimer:  Gundam Wing doesn't belong to me, but this story does!  Haha, stupid lawyers won't get anyhing from me!

Notes:  I feel like starting my a.n.'s with the recognitions first, so here they are – and I know I've said this a million times before but THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!  Props for those who talked to me: **Tomorrow, Ksaz, FierySable, kmf, prussian_eyez, methyl, Heero Yuy, kay, Silver Wing, *Relena*, rose, Sai, Lady of Flame, Ley, **and **Raine Yuy**.

Well, guys, I have to say that I made a mistake.  _A Message in the Steam_ will be three chapters long, not two as I had first thought it would be.  When I was typing up this chapter, I tried to jam it all so it would end.  But most of you know that I totally suck at that, so that's why this is ending up being three chapters.  You guys wouldn't mind the wait for the third will you?  Ok, yeah, that's all I wanted to say.   Now it's time to read…

A Message in the Steam

written by: Nausicaä

                They stood there in the rain, frozen in their spots as they gazed unblinkingly at each other.  Relena couldn't bring herself to even take in a breath of air.  She felt like if she moved even an infinitesimal bit, the image before her would disappear.  Her eyes were wide with shock and hope as her mouth was slightly parted with her last words.  _Please, God, let him be real this time.  _

                Over the two years that Heero had been missing in her life, Relena had traded in her misery of his absence for the cold numbness of work that she'd hoped would distract her from her pain.  But even in the midst of pressing deadlines, nationally broadcasted speeches, and in her sleep, he would come to her.  

                She would walk by a room, and out of the corner of her eye, she'd see dark brown locks and freeze in her tracks, hope raising her spirits.  But a closer look was all it had taken before she felt a stab of disappointment in her stomach.  It was just another faceless worker who, by some sick twist of fate, had the same colour of hair as Heero.

                At times during the night, Relena would wake up with the feeling of residual warmth on her cheek; like a hand had been there only moments before.  Again and again she'd search the dark corners of the room, hoping but also knowing that she wouldn't see what her heart told her had been there moments before. 

                _Please, God, let him be real this time._

                Slowly, Relena walked over to Heero and raised her hand to his cheek.  Just a little bit closer, and she would be able to know for sure… 

                Pain washed through Relena, her hand dropping to her side.  She'd barely seen it, but he'd done it.

                Heero had moved his head away from her touch.  

                _Is she real?  _

He couldn't move, couldn't even blink the eyes that were drinking up the sight of her standing before him.  Of all the places that he'd thought to meet up with Relena again, crossing paths with her after midnight, alone, and in the rain, was the last place Heero would've expected.

                Beneath the collar of his grey turtleneck, Heero's throat convulsed, swallowing the last bit of air he'd taken before seeing her.  It should've been automatic, but standing before her now, Heero had completely forgotten how to breathe.

                If there had been any muscles in his body that weren't taught with awareness when he'd first seen her, they pulled tight now, as Relena took a few hesitant steps towards him.  His fists slowly clenched, fingers aching to touch and hold.  Heero nearly gave in, but memories stopped him.  Memories of how many times he'd thought he'd seen her.  Memories of how he'd reach to touch her face, and she'd disappear.  He wouldn't allow any contact; not when this fantasy looked too real.

                Heero titled his head a fraction of a millimeter away, but it was enough.  Her hand dropped limp to her side.  Everything should've been fine then.  He'd make small talk with the Relena he's seeing, and he'd wake up from this dream.  But when he saw the hurt in the Relena's eyes, his gut told him he'd done something terribly wrong.  Done something terribly wrong to the very hurt and very real Relena.

                Not knowing what to do, Heero just stood before her, staring down at the crown of her head as she ducked it, trying to hide the hurt evident on her face.

                An eternity seemed to pass as they both stood in the pouring rain, neither saying a word.  She was still trying to overcome the stabbing pain that had suffused her heart when Heero had moved away from her touch.  He was still trying to get air into his lungs and the strength to lift his hand and hold onto her so she really wouldn't disappear.  They both fought their inner battles, but Heero had won his first.  

                He'd intended to raise her chin with the tips of his fingers, but Heero's hand faltered and instead, settled onto her jacket-clad elbow.

                "We're soaked," he commented, for lack of anything better to say.  Looking into the light blue eyes turned on him made his throat close with longing.  Great.  He'd barely said more than two sentences to her two years ago, but now he was very nearly rendered speechless.  "Come on."

                Silently, Relena followed Heero, readily letting the role of protector rest on his shoulders.  No words were spoken the entire way to their destination, but when they finally arrived, Relena knew with certainty of where she was.  

                Heero's home.

                As she stepped into the small but cozy house, Relena took her time to look around.  At the door, Heeo had left her to dispense of her jacket and shoes, and as she walked, Relena left a faint trail of soaked carpet.  The living room, dining room, and kitchen all looked the same: very few furnishings, but all the furniture and what not present to deem it livable.  Spartan.  

                Relena didn't understand why that observation calmed her, but then as she took another look inside them, she realized she'd been looking for signs of a female presence.  Pondering on the overwhelming feeling of relief she felt, Relena didn't hear Heero come into the room.

                "Here, take a shower and put these on.  Can't have you falling sick."

                Relena looked down at Heero's hands to see a pair of black cotton sweatpants and a grey t-shirt.  Plain and serviceable, they beckoned to her with the promise of warmth, and feeling the chill of the clinging clothes she wore, Relena was grateful of the change of clothes.  Slowly raising her eyes to his, Relena voiced a soft "thank you" and silently followed his directions to the bathroom upstairs.  Treading softly on the carpet, Relena was aware of the steady eyes that followed her trek on the stairs, but she didn't see the look of worry that briefly shadowed Heero's face.

                He'd worried briefly on whether he should wait the storm out and escort her home, but as soon as the idea came up, Heero made a reason to counter it.  _It's too late now.  It's almost two in the morning…_

Why he was making excuses when he'd be better off shipping Relena home as soon as possible was something Heero didn't want to think about.  Thinking about it was akin to touching a sore tooth.  You don't want to think about it, but it's always there, reminding you and keeping you aware of its presence, biding its time until you're either willing to address it or forced to confront it.

                With his decision made, Heero turned and prepared himself for a night spent on the sofa.

                Upstairs and in the bathroom, Relena had stripped herself of her sopping wet clothes.  Stepping into the glass-encased shower, she turned the faucet and adjusted the temperature of the water until steam began to waft its way upward and out of the stall.  Relaxing under the shower's jet spray, Relena allowed herself to languidly stand and enjoy the enveloping warmth of the water, its liquid fingers covering her with heat from head to toe.  Sighing with contentment, she reached for the shampoo and lathered her hair, massaging the white lather deep into her scalp with slow movements.  Lord, she wished she could stay in here forever.  

                With the shampoo rinsed from her hair, Relena went through the conditioner and soap, taking her time with each and humming a soft tune as she bathed.  She had no sense of time in the sheltered room, but Relena was aware that she'd been in it for quite some time and Heero would be wondering what was taking her so long.

                Ah, yes, Heero.  Relena was surprised that a thought of him had never crossed her mind when she'd been inside the shower.  But now, standing with a towel wrapped around her, reality returned to her as she remembered where she was.  Heero's home…  Alone… with Heero. 

                Patting herself dry, Relena noted that steam was visibly rising from her body.  It looked strange, like as if she was burning up inside.  Fascinated, she watched the steam rise from her body like filmy wisps of flame to collect on the large mirror before her.  

                Wanting to see her reflection, Relena raised a hand to swipe at the steam but came up short as a fanciful idea struck.  Looking about as if a hidden camera was secretly filming her every action, Relena carefully wrote Heero's initials on the mirror.  A small smile curved her lips as she added a small plus sign and her initials beneath.  Knowing she should stop but feeling her heart urge her to continue, Relena finished her little indulgence of whimsy with a heart, surrounding all the writing within it.

                Stepping back and looking at her work, Relena felt the logical side of her brain push aside the dreamy-eyed schoolgirl she'd let live for a few moments.  _What are you doing?  If that were true, don't you think Heero would've been around for you in the last two years?  Think about it.  The only reason why he's with you now is because he found you alone and by _accident.  _He's only doing this because he feels it's his duty to protect you._

With the small smile fading from her lips, Relena hurriedly ran her fingers across the drawing.  _It's true.  If Heero had felt anything for me beyond his mission, I would've had contact from him many times over these years.  _

                Pulling on the clothes, Relena left the bathroom, feeling for the world like a foolish daydreamer.  Back inside the bathroom, wet streaks now marred the silent message of love, the gathered droplets rolling down the glass like quiet tears.

                Heero heard light footsteps and looked up to see Relena come into the living room, bathed, and looking ready for bed.  A vision of her head pillowed on his shoulder as they shared his bed lanced through him, taking the words he was about to say right out of his mouth.  Dumbstruck with the notion, Heero stared.

                Growing uncomfortable with the steady gaze leveled at her, Relena delicately coughed, asking the question she'd been wondering since she'd gotten out of the shower.  "So, um, Heero… am I staying for the night?"

                Nodding, Heero indicated the makeshift bed he'd made on the sofa.  "Yeah.  I'll sleep here, and you can have the bed upstairs."  With nothing else to say and with total lack of hospitality, he cut off any chance of conversation.  "We'll have you back at the mansion early tomorrow morning, and I'll explain the situation to Lady Une.  My guess is that she's going frantic at your disappearance.  Until then, get some rest."

                "Thorough as ever, aren't you, Heero."  Relena replied.  She should've known that he wouldn't have wanted to sit and have small talk.  Musing aloud as she turned towards the stairs, Relena spoke to herself.  "I hope Matt won't be too upset…  And Rob, oh no…"

                Hearing the unfamiliar names roll off the tip of Relena's tongue had Heero tossing a glare at the space she'd just vacated.  Lying down on the sofa and covering himself with the spare comforter, Heero closed his eyes and prepared himself for sleep.  But when the soft creak of footsteps above him sounded, he snapped his eyes open and stared unblinkingly in the dark.

              Relena.  Here.  Upstairs.  In his bed.  Damn it.

              _One sheep, two sheep, three sheep…_

Notes:  Just in case: Heero's counting sheep so he could sleep.  But we all know he can't cause someone in particular is currently occupying _his _bed just above him.  Poor Heero.  I hate to see him suffer like this but it's just so much fun!  Hehe, bad Naus… but yeah, sorry for the bad flow in this fic.  The Heero and Relena moments will come in the next AND LAST (I swear this time!) chapter.  But for now, can you please review?  I would totally appreciate your thoughts, criticism, rants, &c.  Or even email me, ok?  Bye bye for now…


	3. Thank you

Disclaimer: Yeah, we all _love_ to be reminded that our fantasy of owning Gundam Wing is jus that – a _fantasy_… It's one helluva tempting one though, eh?

Notes: This is it, ladies and gents – the final chapter!  * cheers *  You guys should see me right now – big, cheesy grin pasted on my face.   But yeah, my actual notes will be at the end of the series, which is way down there, somewhere. _But_, before I go any further, I have to do something I've promised myself to do for all of those who reviewed the latest chapters of my stories.  I can't go on without saying my thanks, and here they are.  Thanks for the constant encouragement.  Naus loves you: **Amiko, mya, Silver Wing, Lady of Flame, Leea, Ayanami_Chan, leslie ^_-, Ley,** and **Raine Yuy**.  I was seriously thinking about putting up everyone who reviewed, but you guys know who you are.  Whether you're a faithful follower of my fics, or just someone who's reading my stuff for the first time, it doesn't really matter.  I'm on the net to give you guys a good read.

A Message in the Steam

written by: Nausica

_1 hour later_

Damn it, she couldn't sleep.  Not while every time she rolled over, Heero's scent filled her nostrils, torturing her tired heart.  Even just the thought that she was lying in his bed made her head spin.  Squeezing her eyes in defeat, Relena rolled over on her back and gathered the heavy, down comforter about her.  Though it meant to warm her, Relena still felt the chill of the large bed, the empty space beside her filled with cool evening air.  Restless with just lying around but unsure of what to do, Relena found herself walking down the hall and towards the stairs.

                He heard her footsteps again as he stared up at the ceiling.  _So she couldn't sleep either, hm?_

                Closing his eyes, Heero mimicked sleep.  He didn't want her to know that he'd been awake all this time and was glad she'd come down.  He was sick of counting the sparkles that dotted his stucco ceiling, and it was his third time around.

                "Heero, are you awake?" came the disembodied voice.  He began to stir.

                "Is there something wrong, Relena?"  He raised himself up on elbow and peered through the darkness at her small shadow.  "Why aren't you upstairs?'

                Relena felt her face burn, thankful for the darkness.  "I couldn't sleep… and the bed's pretty big, so… it was cold," she finished lamely.  _Oh good job, Relena.  You can compose tear-jerking speeches for the colonies, but in the presence of this one man, you can't even speak a sentence._

She heard a rustling of cloth and Relena found herself encased in warmth.  She looked up to see Heero's large shadow looming before her, his face in the shadows.  "Here.  We might as well be awake together, I guess." 

                Sitting down side by side on the sofa, Relena again tried to form a sentence, but words failed her.   Wrapping her in his blanket was one of the kindest things that Heero had ever done for her.  She was speechless.  And being his usual, tight-lipped self, Heero didn't contribute to the budding conversation between them.  

                Finding her voice after what seemed an eternity, Relena ventured to cut the crackling silence.  "I know you'd probably expected this, Heero, but… can you tell me where've you been?"

                He had expected it, but was he going to tell her the truth?  That he'd been wandering around lifelessly, his only anchor to the world being his mission to protect her?  That he'd removed himself from her presence because he didn't trust what he'd do when he was near her?  "I've been busy."

                "Oh," came the reply, "Anything else?"

                "Yeah…" _I miss you, _"I'm starting university next month."

                Again, they were back to the silence.  Giving up trying to draw him into conversation, Relena stood up, startling Heero.  His eyes watched her move towards the window seat and fold herself into the tiny area.  Leaning her head against the cool glass, Relena gave a sigh that seemed to pull all the life out of her body.  _I wonder what she's thinking._

"I miss you," floated out of the dark.  "Even now when you're right in front of me."

                Heero didn't know how to reply to such a statement.  "What?"

                Relena turned her head towards him, her eyes begging him to understand.  She raised her hands, fingers spread.  "Did you notice, Heero?  Since we've began this conversation, the number of words you've said to me can be counted on two hands alone."

                He knew it was one of those moments where he was counted on to say something important… "So?"

                _"So?" _Relena's voice sounded strangled.  "We haven't seen each other for two years.  _Two long years, Heero!"  _She turned her head away from him, and the tears started.  "How can all you have to say to me fit into just ten words?"

                "Relena…"

                "I know you're right there.  I can reach out and touch you if I wanted, but… I can't help but feel like you're still-"

                "Holding back?"  Heero interrupted.  "Relena, you know I'm not much for talking.  What do you want me to say?"

                Standing up and facing him, Relena shouted.  "Anything, Heero!  Just assure me that you're still alive," Her voice turning to a whisper, Relena added, "You seem so dead."

                For fifteen long minutes, Heero kept quiet, thinking of what to say.  The only sound in the room was Relena's suppressed sobbing and the grindingly loud noise of the clock, the seconds ticking away, warning him of the time he was losing at his expense.  Even after all that time, Heero was still left wanting.  He honestly couldn't find the words he needed and desperately searched inside himself and again, came up empty-handed.  _This was something Dr. J never trained me for_.

                Then when all looked lost, Inspiration raised its hand and pushed an idea at Heero's face.  _You were always a man of few words. You don't have to tell her anything… you can show her instead._

Yes, that's what he'd do, Heero decided.  He'd brave the foreign feeling of touch, if it meant he could hold Relena in his arms.  Summoning up the courage to lay his hand on Relena's still quivering back, Heero was immobilized when he heard her next words.  As they tumbled from her lips, he felt like walls were being built around her, rendering her untouchable.  "Heh… what am I thinking?  I take it back, Heero.  Don't say anything at all.  You were always good at that."

                Heero rolled over onto his left side again and shivered, drawing the thin comforter about his body.  After Relena had left him half an hour before, an unnatural chill had beset him, its icy fingers not only numbing his skin, but he swore, his innards too.  Feeling that the t-shirt he wore was inadequate, Heero got up and slowly made his way up the stairs.

                Moments later, he found himself outside the closed door of his bedroom, acutely aware that the former Queen of the world lay just beyond its frame, asleep on his bed.  He almost lost his nerve as he touched the doorknob, but as he nudged it open, Heero gathered his reserve and thought rationally.  _I'm only in here for a sweater – _nothing _else.  Just a quick in and out visit to the closet, rest for another two hours, then I'm taking her back home.  _

                It only took Heero seconds to retrieve the desired sweater, his eyes doggedly trained on the open door as he turned around.  He'd refused to look at Relena, fearing that seeing her would undo him and he'd find himself on his knees and begging for forgiveness.  He would've succeeded too, if he hadn't heard her uneven breathing.  

That sound stopped Heero cold.  It wasn't that Relena was awake and pretending to sleep.  She knew him better than to try and fool him.  No, her breathing was the kind that told him she'd cried herself to oblvion – a wretched, unnerving gasp so different from the deep and even gait of breath found in sleep.  Pivoting on silent feet, Heero took his first full look of Relena since he'd entered the room… and felt his stomach drop.

                Curled up in a small ball in the middle of a bed obviously made for two, was Relena.  Moonlit hair cascaded about the white pillows in silken disarray, while tiny hands clutched another pillow to her chest.  Her face was partially covered with her hair, and giving into temptation, Heero reached out and brushed back the golden tresses, feeling the strands slip through his fingers.  

                That's when he saw the tracks they left. 

Tears that had come and gone left their mark on her flushed cheeks, the crooked silver tracks tracing down her face.  Again, Heero heard the hitched breath exhale from her lips and this time, saw the body-racking shudder that went through her too.  It didn't take a rocket scientist to know she was freezing.  But what was he to do about that?  Add another blanket over the one she had now?

                When Heero thought back on it, he could've sworn that he'd felt a hand press gently on his back.  At one moment, he was at the foot of the bed, the next he was climbing in behind Relena.  Closer as he was now, Heero was surprised to feel the bed shake slightly with her shivers.  After a long hesitation, he wrapped his arms around her small waist, unashamedly savouring the heat her body radiated despite her shaking.  _Body heat will stop the shivering, _he thought mechanically.  But after he pulled Relena close enough to spoon his body around her, Heero gave up making excuses… and simply lived in the moment.

                Relena's dream only held cold sensations: a biting wind, ice beneath her feet, and absolutely no shelter in sight.  Somehow she knew that she was sleeping, and all she could do was shiver ineffectually.  Looking around the dismal setting surrounding her, Relena was dismayed to find that there wasn't even a place for her to sit.  In all directions, as far as she could see, was flat, ice-covered terrain. 

                Feeling like she was being frozen from the inside out, Relena was about to walk in no certain direction when she felt herself suddenly being enveloped in warmth.  Strangely, it started around her waist, the comforting fingers of warmth coating her stomach and spreading until she was literally wrapped in a cloak of heat.  

                _Heero, he's here, _she thought.  But as she turned her head, she found no one.  Nothing around her had changed… except for the heat.  Puzzling at her situation, Relena stopped herself and let her heart think for a moment.  _Heero, _it said.  _Don't bother figuring it out.  Just let it be.  You're moment will come. _

                And that's when Relena woke up to find that indeed, it was Heero's warmth she felt.  Looking at his arms wrapped solidly around her waist in the predawn light, Relena smiled sadly and carefully moved herself even closer to Heero's chest.  She would stay just a few more minutes; it would have to do, after what she'd decided.

                _Dragging her feet through the door, Relena weakly pulled herself into the bed, the shaking of her suppressed crying already letting loose and racking her body.  "You were always a master at saying nothing at all, Heero," she whispered into the pillow she clutched.  "Why did I think two years of separation would make any difference?"_

_                She sat there for another half hour, digging deep in her heart, and crying at what she found and finally agreed with._

_                Heero would never be hers.  They weren't meant for each other, no matter what Duo and Hilde said.  Two years of silence was pretty telling.  There would be no happy ending for her.  _       

                Sunlight was the first thing that registered in Heero's head right before he realized that the warmth nestled against him throughout the night was no longer in his arms.  Bolting upright, Heero looked unbelievingly to his right – and found empty space. 

                _Maybe she's downstairs, waiting for me, _he thought, even as a feeling of dread poked him in the heart.  

                Running downstairs, Heero cracked the silence with his shout, his voice tainted with what could only be described as regret.  "Relena?  Relena, where are you?"

                His search of the tiny house ended within minutes.  Heero had known she was gone the second no answer replied to his first call, but he couldn't help but imagine that Relena was only playing a game with him, hiding in a corner and smothering a laugh.  But no.  None.  No sign of her at all.  Not even a stray strand of hair, he was sure.  It was as if the peaceful interlude he'd had with Relena in his arms was a dream.  Sinking down on to the couch, Heero stared unblinkingly at the wall before him.  "She was here, damn it, I know she was." he breathed.

                Running his hands through his hair, Heero let his right hand drop to his side and instantly pulled it back towards his chest.  He looked first to his hand and found a drop of blood well up at the palm, then down to what had caused the tiny prick.  Unnoticed until now were his clothes, set on the couch and neatly folded with a note pinned to the top.  Assessing that it was the pin that had done the damage, Heero opened the note and read its short message.  The flowing handwriting he found could only have been Relena's, although it wasn't even signed.  _Thank you.  _

                Heero was slightly disappointed at the abruptness of Relena's note to him, but as he thought about it, they were the only words she really needed to say.  'Thank you' for taking me in from the rain.  'Thank you' for lending me your clothes.  'Thank you' for keeping me warm.  'Thank you' for your protection in the night.  But Heero had to admit, if only to himself, he was feeling a bit of confusion that there were no words of 'I love you.'  Oh, he'd always known that Relena had feelings for him.  He'd been aware that she'd searched for him that first year after the Eve Wars, but with the recent newspaper article, he wasn't so sure that she felt anything anymore… _Which, _he reminded himself, _should be a good thing.  You can start over now, Yuy.  Start a life with no attachments to your past._

So, with tentative decision in mind, Heero began his new – and what he secretly hoped – improved life with a shower.  Crumpling up Relena's note, he threw it in the garbage on his way upstairs.

                He felt like when he came out of a battle, tired and ready to collapse after the adrenaline faded.  The shower hadn't helped.  Heero didn't feel refreshed – he didn't even feel awake.  Instead, he felt weak, old, and worn out.  Like life and light had finally been sucked out of his flesh… when she left.  

                _Beneath the spray of liquid heat, Heero had struggled under the onslaught of feelings he'd rather had left buried.  The constant barrage of unanswered questions had kept coming, and finally, he'd let them beat him.  He'd let his shoulders slump and hung his head in shame, allowing the lather from his hair to run into his eyes.  It had given meaning to the stinging he felt there.  The jet streams turned to needles, hitting his shoulders and chest unmercifully, each drop driving the nails of reason deeper into his heart._

_                You love her.  You know it.  You had your chance.  You lost her.  _Again_.  Now she doesn't even love you anymore.  Be happy… this is what you want, isn't it?_

_                "No," he'd whispered.  "Not anymore.  Not when I've held her so close…"_

Snapping out of his reverie, Heero admitted it again to the room.  "No, not anymore.  Before… but not now."  Then he laughed bitterly.  "But even that doesn't matter.  Relena never spoke a word about loving me.  There'd been no sign.  It's too late."  Wrapping the towel around his hips, Heero swallowed hard and lifted a hand to swipe at the misted mirrors.  "It's been too late for a lo-"

                His hand froze, the tip of his middle finger the only digit touching the mirror's cool surface.

                In front of him, bit by slow, misty bit, the sign he'd been looking for assembled before him.  It was marred at some sections, the streaks of fingers wiping clean as if to deny its meaning, but it was there.  The sign he'd needed.  Their names, the heart… it was from her. 

                Heero stared long and hard at it, his chest heaving to control his breathing and his face twitching with his disbelief.  Was his mind playing tricks on him?  Yes, that was it.  He wanted Relena's love so much that he was seeing things.  But what was his heart saying?  

                Heero listened and found the answer.

                Moving his hand, Heero drew an arrow to complete the picture, his face softening as he finished.  

                "Thank you."

Later that day 

                After another one of Senator Gordovski's long-winded meetings, Relena was ready to call it quits.  But the reminder that she had only one more to attend before she could sleep away the aches of the day had Relena straightening her shoulders.  Slipping into her waiting limo, Relena gave the directions to the Union Palisade to her chauffeur.  "But," she said, hey eyes sliding shut, "take the long way there." 

                With her eyes finally closed, Relena didn't see the familiar reflection of deep blue eyes glinting at her in the mirror.  "Mission accepted." 

Notes:  Egads, what a helluva weak ending.  Original much?  * sigh * The flow, the flow… Ley, I know what your'e thinking: TOO PICKY!  I bet you'd glomp me upside the head if you could.  * hides behind her bed just in case * Oh well, can't help it… T_T  So yeah, happy ending for all.  Heero's back in Relena's life.  Now the question is… sequel?  I don't know… maybe ;)

But yeah, I want to say thank you again to everyone who had given their input to _A Message in the Steam.  _It took a lot of pushing and way too much encouragement, but it's finished.  One down, three more sagas to go, hehe.

Oh, yeah, on the off chance you guys don't believe that the initial thing would reappear again, it should.  Believe me, I've tried it – except I wrote it with mine and Trowa's initials * blush * Just kidding… But even though this is finished, I'm still hoping to get your thoughts on it.  What I could've done better or just your general rants and raves.  Email me even.  You all know how much I love those.  If you do, I'll get back to you as soon as possible, ok?  And since the authoralert on ff.net doesn't apply to all, leave me your email somewhere if you want me to alert you on the next update to any of my fics.  Thanks again for sticking it through.  

- Naus   

                              

                   


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